Moments of Poise
Creative Director: Benjamin Choi
1. What significant life experiences or events have influenced and shaped your artistic vision?
Growing up in the countryside, I enjoyed exploring encyclopedias of flora and fauna, trying to understand why and how they exist around me. And in Paris, I began to hear from others that they also saw beauty in what I saw. That experience, along with a deep connection to my roots and cultural history, shaped how I define beauty.
Those moments gave me a quiet confidence—that the beauty I felt and pursued was not only personal, but also quietly universal. They helped shape an aesthetic grounded in empathy, curiosity, and a sense of place. This intersection of past and present, nature and culture, continues to define my aesthetic vision.
2. Collaboration often sparks fresh creativity. Can you share an example of a collaboration that led to an unexpected and exciting artistic outcome?
I had the chance to live in rural America. There, I began to reconnect with nature. And I collaborated with local creatives for editorial shoots. During those photoshoots, I was surprised by how naturally my works blended with the raw landscape. In those moments, we’d often pause, struck by how effortlessly everything came together. It reminded me that true beauty doesn’t need to shout—it just needs to belong.
3. Walk us through a specific project that challenged your creative boundaries. How did you approach it, and what did you learn from the experience?
Relocating to the U.S., I faced limits—from sourcing materials to production and execution. I didn’t want to complain, so I kept creating with what I had. At times, it felt like a disadvantage, but I’ve learned that working within these limitations brought more depth and emotional connection to my work. Instead of rushing to complete something, I stayed with each piece longer. That patience allowed me to understand what I was really trying to express. Ironically, that very limitation became part of my story.
4. In the ever-evolving art world, what do you believe sets your work apart and makes it unique or groundbreaking?
I try not just to observe nature—but to imagine living within it. That changed everything. My work often starts from empathy, not trend, and is shaped by the cultures and roots I come from.
Though hard to define, my childhood understanding of nature became clearer in urban adulthood. That quiet thread between rural memory and city reality now gives my work its duality: grounded yet open, raw like nature yet refined, personal yet quietly universal.
5. As you reflect on your journey, are there any specific goals or milestones you've set for your artistic career in the coming years?
I’m currently developing collaborative projects with artists from around the world—spatial designers, furniture designers, moving image artists, musicians, dancers, and writers. These collaborations aren’t just cross-disciplinary—they’re about shared, instinctive, living moments.
My goal is to create works that exist fully in the present moment, just like nature does. I want them to be accepted for what they are—even when placed in unfamiliar environments—just as a living being belongs wherever it exists. I aim to continue these kinds of collaborations. I want my work to quietly mark its place in the world, as every living thing does in nature.
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Set against wooden floors and soft white curtains, the shoot reflects the collection's quiet boldness and graceful tension.
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Creative Director: Benjamin Choi
Photographer: Hyoungook Choi
Model: Aleksandra Parshakova
Makeup Artist: Elina Shihov
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Benjamine Cadette